Happy Two-Year Book Birthday to “It’ll be Irie”!
As I celebrate the two-year birthday of my picture book, It’ll be Irie, published in 2023 by Cardinal Rule Press, I reflect upon an interesting year of new possibilities and the promise...
The Book Blog
Diversity
The Comfort of Bookstores
Have you ever wondered about the appeal of bookstores? What makes people want to stay at bookstores for long periods? These are questions that begin to emerge for people who...
The Power of Representation in Children’s Books
Inspiration comes from a positive self-image, which requires consistent nurturing. For children, a great sense of self comes from identification with characters in the stories they see and hear -...
Empowerment Talk
Part One Lessons To Teach Positive Character Traits Be honest with the teacher about the length of time you spent to complete a project Be honest when taking a test-don’t...
Square Pegs–How to Fit in When the World is Round
Square pegs in a round hole—an expression you may have heard before. Usually referring to someone or something that, for one reason or another, doesn’t ‘fit’. It’s a square peg...
November is Native American Heritage Month!
It's November! And you know what that means? Aside from the colorful leaves and the looming winter season, we celebrate our Native American friends! November is Native American Heritage Month!...
Celebrating all Backgrounds through Picture Books
One of the amazing things about stories is that it provides readers the opportunity to identify aspects of themselves within the characters, or learn about characters that live a completely...
My Amazing Book Launch Month!
On July first, my picture book, “It’ll be Irie” published by Cardinal Rule Press, made its world debut. What seemed like such a far-off time back in Winter of 2022,...
Picture Books Celebrating Grandparents
I am honored today to share a few of my favorite picture books that showcase positive, loving relationships between children and grandparents. With the growing population of kids who live...
Picture Books to Read for Caribbean-American Heritage Month
The summer 2023 release of our new book It’ll Be Irie, by Donn Swaby, is fast approaching. It tells the story of a young boy named Raymond who moves from...
This AAPI Heritage Month, Say “Aloha Everything!”
As a child, I always begged my parents for just one more bedtime story, never wanting to go to sleep. The magic of children's books transported me to such wonderful...
Celebrating the Birthdays of Some of our Favorite Books
We all can think back to our birthdays as children and how they were such magical days. Going to school in our best outfit and being met with birthday wishes...
Two Years of Spreading Kindness with Kindness is a Kite String
My Cardinal Rule Press book, Kindness is a Kite String, ends with this hopeful message: “Kindness is contagious. When you catch it, pass it on!” In the two years since...
How Dazzling Travis Made Me a Better Person
It's funny how writers don't always see themselves in their books. Recently, I was scrolling through a lineup of authors for an event where the site featured their book...
Books for When you Feel Like you Don’t Fit in
Nearly everyone has, at one point in their life, felt the need to change themselves to fit in. Moving to a new city, starting at a new school, meeting a...
Multicultural Children’s Book Day & Cardinal Rule Press
Multicultural Children’s Book Day is celebrating its 10th Anniversary! We are thrilled to welcome Cardinal Press Rule as our Silver Sponsor! Cardinal Press Rule is a publishing company focused on...
Books on Teaching About Disabilities
Hide and Shh!: A Not-So-Sneaky Sister Story About Inclusion by Christina Dendy Dinah, a young girl with Down Syndrome, loves to play games with her older sister, Chloe, but her...
DIVERSITY, WE NEED MORE STORIES
Some words make us shine so brightly like the stars up across the sky, touching the innermost parts of us in ways we can’t explain. Like the aroma of mama’s...